Refrigerator door shelf construction



Dec. 15, 1959 "H. D. SQUIRE REFRIGERATOR DOOR SHELF CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. '7. 1957 FIG. 5

FIG 4 A F/a. 7

INVENTOR.

x//J arme/Vey United States Patent() REFRIGERATOR DOOR SHELF CONSTRUCTION Herbert D. Squire, Galesburg, Ill., assignor to Admiral Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application February 7, 1957, Serial No. 638,871

2 Claims. (Cl. S12-214) erator and which are arranged to support certain articles such as bottles, eggs and the like, thus providing greater storage capacity. In some instances these shelves are formed integral with the inner liner of the door which, although satisfactory, has the disadvantage that the shelves may not be spaced properly for thesupport of certain articles. Although to the best of my knowledge adjustable shelves have been previously contemplated, the means for adjustment was relatively diicult, rendered the shelves somewhat unstable in their attachment and frequently left unsightly openings where there were no shelves in which dirt and moisture could accumulate and which were particularly diflicult to clean.

By the present invention I have provided a shelf construction in which various types of shelves may be used and wherein the height of the shelves may be adjusted within wide latitude in a manner so simple that it may be accomplished by persons of limited mechanical experience. The construction is such that regardless of the position to which the shelves are adjusted or the number of shelves used, the structure provides a finished and permanent appearance which does not detract from its aesthetic beauty.

Still other advantages of the invention and the invention itself will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, which description is illustrated by the accompanying drawings and forms a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevational view of the inside of a refrigerator door removed from the cabinet, certain parts being broken away to show the construction of the parts below;

Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical front and side elevational views of a removable rail used in conjunction with the shelves;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line l4--4 of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sections taken on lines 5 5, 6-6 and 7--7 of Fig. 1.

Brieily, the invention is used in conjunction with a refrigerator door having a recess in the inner face thereof which is bounded by a pair of vertically extending plane surfaces having openings therein `into which lugs carried by the shelves may extend and wherein rails are removably attached to the upper and lower ends and engage the shelves to hold them in position and conceal the openings.

More particularly as shown in Fig. l there is illustrated the door 10 having the usual peripheral gasket 11 and an inner recess 12 bounded by a rectangular iiat surface or rib 13. The vertical reaches of the rib 13 at opposite edges of the door are provided with a plurality of vertically spaced apertures 14. Both of the side ribs have these apertures which are in alignment with each other.

As shown in Fig. 7 various types of shelves may be used. The upper shelf 20 is relatively deep. Disposed below the upper shelf is a shallow shelf 21 which operates lin conjunction with a guard rail 22.

As best shown in Fig. 6, each of the shelves is provided with a rear surface 30 which conforms in contour to a horizontal section taken through the door. The shelf proper spans the intermediate portion of the door and the portion 30 is provided with laterally extending portions 31 from which rearwardly extending hook-shaped lugs 32 protrude. These lugs are adapted to be inserted through the apertures 14 in the doorand then the entire shelf moved to cause the lugs to interlock with the lower edges of the openings 14.

Although the above description is the preferred form of locking the shelves in the apertures, it will be apparent with this construction that the lugs'32 need not necessarily be hook-shaped, but may be straight; pro-` viding the hook-shape facilitates the assembly thereof.

It is to be understood that each one of the shelves such as 20, 21 and 22 is provided with such rearwardly extending lugs which thus enable a shelf structure` to be assembled in anyldesired manner bythe user to best suit hisneeds.

For instance as shown in Figs. 7 and 1,Y should it be desired to store bottles, a shelf 21-with a relatively narrow vertical iange may be used, and, spaced at any desired distance above that shelf, is a guardrail 22 which is secured to the door. in the same, manner. It will be apparent rthat the shelveshaving been assembled the onlyV holding means for the shelves describedup to this point are the lugs 32. The unused apertures are open and unsightly.

Means is therefore provided for locking the shelves in place and for covering the unused apertures. It comprises an upper socket 40, Figs. 1 and 5, which is an inverted cup. A lug or pin 41'extends rearwardly from the socket and through a hole in the rib 13. A suitable locking device 42 is disposed on the pin for holding the socket in place. In this position it will be noted that the socket is inverted with the entrance in a downward direction. Likewise on the lower end of the rib 13 there is provided an upwardly opening socket 45. A rail member 48, Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is provided being of generally channel shape and having an upper curved end 49 for insertion in the upper socket and a lower square end 50 for engagement in the lower socket. Once the shelves are in position the rail 49 may be inserted in the socket 40, the rail slid upwardly in the socket and then swung inwardly until the bottom end is in alignment with the socket 45. It is then lowered into position into the socket 45 where it is seated. Asshown in Fig. 4 the rail engages the lateral extension 31 of the shelves, retaining them in position in the apertures and at the same time, as best seen on the left side of Fig. l, hides the unused apertures from View.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A refrigerator door and shelf assembly comprising a refrigerator door having at its inner face an inwardly disposed recess and a pair of outwardly disposed, vertically extending at ribs at opposite sides of said recess, said ribs having a plurality of pairs of vertically spaced apertures therein which open at the inner face of the door, the apertures of each pair being horizontally aligned with each other at opposite sides of said recess in the door, a plurality of shelves received in said recess in the door and spaced vertically one above the other, each of Patented Dee. 15, 1959.

said shelves -carrying a pair of projections which are detachably received respectively in'a corresponding pair of the apertures in the ribs at the opposite sides of said re,- cess, `saidpprojections constitutingzthesole means ,of at. tachment' of" therespectiveshelvesto the door, thernumf ber of'saidgshelves beingless `than ,thenumber ofpairs of said 'apertures to leave certain of saidapertures open at thuerinnner face `ofthe Adoorga pair of retainer members which-extend down across the respective ribs at the innerfae of the door and present continuous unbroken outer surfaces which" overlie all of said apertures in the ribs and 'said shelf projections, said retainer members beingpseparate ,fromI the door and Vretaining said shelves in.

which slidably receive Vthe upper ends of said ,retainerv members, and a pair of lower sockets mounted Jrespec tively on ,said ribs below theapertures therein, said lower socketsrhaving upwardlyfacing openings which are closed at their .lower ends and which 'slidably receive the lower ends of said retainerv members, the closed upper ends of the upper `sockets beingv spaced from the lower sockets a distance greater than the length of the respective retainer members to permit'the manual 'insertion and removaLof the retainer` members, said upper and lower sockets forming the sole means kholding the retainer members in place overlying said ribs on the inner face of the door.

2; A refrigerator door and shelf assembly comprising rality of pairs of vertically spaced apertures therein which yopen'at the inner face of the door, a plurality of shelves positioned at the inner face ofs'the door and spaced vertically one above the other, each of said shelves carrying a pair of projections which are detachably received respectively in the apertures in the ribs at the opposite sides of said recess, the number of said shelves being less than the number of pairs of said apertures to leave certain of said apertures open at the inner-face of the door, a pair of retainer members which extend down across the respective ribs at the inner face of the door and overlie all of said apertures in the ribs and said shelf projections, supporting meansfor supporting said retainer members in place at the inner face of the door, said retainer members being manually removable from said supporting means, said supporting means for each retainer member comprising an upper socket attached to the inner face of the door above the apertures in the corresponding rib and having a downwardly facing opening which slidably re ceivesthe upper end of the respective retainer member, and alower socket attached to the inner face of the door below the apertures in said rib and having an upwardly.

facingopening which slidably receives each retainer member having its outer surface lunobstructed throughout its extent between said upper and lower sockets.

References Cited in the le of this patent t UNITED STATES PATENTS Barnard Apr. 19, 1921 1,462,278 Greene July 17, 1923 2,562,057 Norberg July 24, 1951 2,746,828 Amore May 22, 1956 2,749,718 Saunders June 12, 1956` 

